Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaching out to farmers of Odisha through video bridge, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik also interacted with the cultivators and assured them that all the issues faced by them would be addressed soon.

As part of his outreach programme of direct interaction with beneficiaries of his pet schemes, Modi had spoken to farmers across the country via video-conferencing yesterday.

The chief minister too interacted with the farmers after inaugurating a training programme for them at Orissa University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) here yesterday.

Inaugurating the training programme, the chief minister said, "As part of the programme, two farmers from a panchayat will be imparted training in modern agricultural practices at the OUAT. After training, these farmers will in turn, train other farmers in their respective areas to implement the same for enhancing agricultural production."

The programme will cover farmers of all the 314 blocks of the state, the chief minister said.

The farmers apprised him of the problems faced by them, including distress sale of their produce and shortage of cold storage facilities.

The chief minister assured them that all the issues faced by the cultivators would be addressed soon.

The prime minister had interacted with the farmers of Angul district through videoconferencing on use of modern methods in cultivation.

During the talks, a farmer of Durgapur, Benudhar Pradhan, apprised the PM of the success achieved by him through modern agricultural practices and integrated farming.

Pradhan said while his father used to earn Rs 40,000-50,000 per year, he has been earning about Rs 4-5 lakh per annum.

The prime minister also interacted with Binapani Rout of Kusasinga village in the district who opted for modern farming methods after her husband became physically-challenged following an accident.